Stars sign Heiskanen to $67.6M, 8-year deal
FRISCO, TEXAS» Miro Heiskanen signed a $67.6 million, eight-year contract with the Dallas Stars on Saturday, a monster deal that puts him among the highest-paid defensemen in the NHL.
The Stars also traded forward Jason Dickinson to Vancouver for a 2021 third-round pick before rosters had to be set for the Seattle expansion draft. The move was designed to keep the club from losing the 26-year-old to the Kraken for nothing.
Heiskanen will count $8.45 million against the salary cap through 2028-29. Only five defensemen currently count more against the cap than that next season. The deal came a day before Heiskanen’s 22nd birthday.
The native of Finland had 27 points last season and ranked ninth in the league in ice time at just under 25 minutes a game. Heiskanen has 28 goals and 67 assists for 95 points in 205 regular-season games. He also has 30 points in 40 playoff games with Dallas, including a trip to the 2020 Stanley Cup Final in the bubble.
Heiskanen, the third pick in the 2017 draft, was fourth in Calder Trophy voting as rookie of the year his first season and 12th in Norris voting in 2019-20.
GM Jim Nill said the Stars believe Heiskanen, who became a restricted free agent this summer, will be a Norris contender for years. The club also had to balance uncertainty over the salary cap because of pandemic-reduced revenues.
“Miro made it very clear he wants to be here long-term,” Nill said. “I think it’s a fair number for both parties. It protects his upside and it protects us as we move forward with our business.”
Heiskanen’s deal could set the bar for other restricted free agent defensemen like Colorado’s Cale Makar and Vancouver’s Quinn Hughes this year, and Boston’s Charlie Mcavoy next year.
“It feels great to get this done,” Heiskanen said. “Of course there is a lot of work to be done, and we’re very motivated to get back on the ice. It is very exciting to be a part of what Jim and his staff are building, and it’s important to reward them for the trust they’ve shown with this long-term commitment.”
Heiskanen produced about a point per game in the playoff bubble last year, but was down to half a point per game last season, when the defending Western Conference champions missed the playoffs.
Predators’ revamp goes on with trade of Ryan Ellis to Flyers. Nashville revamped its roster some more Saturday, trading defenseman Ryan Ellis to the Philadelphia Flyers for defenseman Philippe Myers and forward Nolan Patrick.
This is the second member of the Predators’ 2017 Stanley Cup Final roster Nashville has traded. Nashville sent forward Viktor Arvidsson to the Los Angeles Kings on July 1, while Philadelphia gets a defenseman in Ellis that can play on the top pairing.
Nashville didn’t keep Patrick long. The Vegas Golden Knights announced they acquired Patrick from the Predators who received forward Cody Glass in the deal. The Golden Knights also acquired defenseman Brett Howden from the Rangers, sending New York Nick Desimone and a fourthround pick in the 2022 draft.
Sharks get goalie Hill from Coyotes.
SAN JOSE, CALIF. » The San Jose Sharks acquired goaltender Adin Hill from the Arizona Coyotes just before the NHL roster freeze.the Coyotes sent Hill and a 2022 seventh-round pick to the Sharks for 23-year-old goalie Josef Kolenar and a 2022 secondrounder. Arizona also acquired forward Andrew Ladd and three future draft picks from New York in a move that gives the Islanders salary cap space.
The Coyotes traded Hill because they could not protect the 25-year-old and starter Darcy Kuemper from the Kraken.
Hill is a restricted free agent with 49 games of NHL experience.
“Adin is an extremely competitive and athletic goaltender and he has played a significant amount of professional hockey games despite being only 25 years old,” Sharks general manager Doug Wilson said.
Rangers acquire rights to Barclay Goodrow from Lightning.
NEW YORK» The New York Rangers acquired the rights to pending free agent forward Barclay Goodrow from the Stanley Cup champion Tampa Bay on Saturday.
New York sent a 2022 seventhround pick to the Lightning for Goodrow, one of the key additions who helped Tampa Bay win the Cup each of the past two seasons. The Rangers have exclusive negotiating rights with Goodrow until free agency opens July 28.